Sargent Investment Group LLC Trims Stock Position in International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM)

Sargent Investment Group LLC lessened its holdings in shares of International Business Machines Co. (NYSE:IBM) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,613 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 715 shares during the period. International Business Machines makes up 2.3% of Sargent Investment Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Sargent Investment Group LLC’s holdings in International Business Machines were worth $10,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IBM. Naples Money Management LLC purchased a new position in International Business Machines in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of International Business Machines during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 971.4% during the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of International Business Machines by 67.9% during the third quarter. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. now owns 225 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cordant Inc. boosted its position in International Business Machines by 753.3% during the fourth quarter. Cordant Inc. now owns 256 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 58.96% of the company’s stock.

International Business Machines Stock Performance

Shares of IBM stock traded down $1.78 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $167.13. The stock had a trading volume of 8,983,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,906,041. The firm has a market capitalization of $153.21 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $187.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.34. International Business Machines Co. has a twelve month low of $120.55 and a twelve month high of $199.18.

International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.09. International Business Machines had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 40.21%. The company had revenue of $14.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.36 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that International Business Machines Co. will post 9.99 earnings per share for the current year.

International Business Machines Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were paid a dividend of $1.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 8th. This represents a $6.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.97%. International Business Machines’s dividend payout ratio is 75.20%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on IBM shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of International Business Machines from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of International Business Machines from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Evercore upgraded shares of International Business Machines from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $165.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Friday, January 19th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of International Business Machines from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $184.08.

About International Business Machines

International Business Machines Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated solutions and services worldwide. The company operates through Software, Consulting, Infrastructure, and Financing segments. The Software segment offers a hybrid cloud and AI platforms that allows clients to realize their digital and AI transformations across the applications, data, and environments in which they operate.